Improvement in corpse-coolers



C. H 0 FF.

Corpse-Cooler.

THE GRAPHlG C0.PH OTO #UTM-V39 BHV PARK PLAOE,N.Y.

UNITED STATES PATENT Grrrcn.

CHARLES HOFF, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORPSE-COOLERS.

Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 160,910, dated March16, 1875 application filed July 17,1874. A

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GHARLEs Horn, of Gincinnati, Hamilton county, Stateof Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCorpse-Preservers, of which the following is aspecification:

My invention relates in one condition of its use to the class ofcorpse-preservers which act to keep the corpse in a state ofpreservation for a limited period by means of the cooling properties ofice; and my invention consists, in the rst part, in fitting the severaladjustable parts of said preserver with waterjoints, for the purpose ofrendering them airtight, to prevent the inclosed and exterior air fromcommin glin g 54 and my invention consists, in the second place, ofdraining the water which forms in the ice-chamber, and causing lit tolill, and keep full, the lower joint of the preserver, while a pipeleading from said joint prevents it from overflowing. Owing to thewater-joints, the preserver is necessarily made of metal, and todecrease the conducting power of said metal the walls are made doublewith layers of charcoal between. But leaving my invention out of theclass of corpse-preservers which use ice, it is capable, by reason ofits atmosphericimpenetrability, of preserving the corpse for an extendedlength of Atime by lneans simply of water, or even without anythingexcept in the joints, the ice merely being used to preserve the naturalcolor of the corpse.

Figure l is a perspective view of a corpsepreserver embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same.

A is the bed of the preserver, upon which the corpse lies, and has atrough, a, capable of holding water, which, in connection with the rimof the case that ts into it, forms a joint impervious to air, and alsohas an escape-pipe, ct', leading ltherefrom for the drainage of water toprevent the `joint from overflowing on account of water constantlyflowing into it from the ice-chamber. B is the case, lwhich is muchdeeper than the bed A, and rests over and around the corpse, and in thewater joint a, and has a semi-cylindrical diaphragm, b,

running the greater part of its length, which divides the inclosed spaceinto two compartments, one of which acts as a bottom for nearlysurrounding the other, in which the corpse rests. The upper one isintended to be filled with ice or Water for the purpose of lowering thetemperature in the space in which the corpse rests. This outer space bof the case B is provided with a lid, C, for the introduction of coolingmaterials into it, and is also fitted with a water-joint, c, to renderit airtight. The space inside the diaphragm b at one end extends upbeyond it, and has a lid, D, over it situated on a level with the lid C,and having a glass-panel for facility in viewing the corpse, while italso has a water-joint, d. c is a vent for draining the water from thejoint c when desirable, and also from the joint d. Eis a supply-pipe forthe joint c lead ing from the chamber b over the diaphragm b, while, asbefore mentioned, a is the escapepipe leading therefrom. To render theWalls, which. in this instance, are of metal, more non-conductive asregards heat and cold, I construct the side walls of the case B doubleat b with charcoal lining. On account of the perfectly air-tightcondition of the preserver when in proper use, the cooling substancesmay be dispensed with altogether, and the body preserved a reasonablelength of time without them. As the corpse is often viewed at night aglass-panel is placed at the head of the preserver to admit the rays ofa lamp upon the face.

I claim- 1. In combination with bed A and case B, the liquid-trough c,constructed substantially in the manner and for the purpose specified.

2. The bed A, case B, and liquid-trough a,

in combination with ieecha1nber b', and pipes E and c', substantially asand for the purpose specified.

In testimony of which invention, I hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES HOFF. Witnesses:

EDGAR J. Gnoss, J. L. WARTMANN.

